As one of the eight major cuisines in China, Hunan cuisine is deeply loved by consumers for its unique flavor. The so-called Sichuan is not afraid of spicy, Hunan is not afraid of spicy, and Guizhou is not afraid of spicy. In fact, Hunan's "spicy" is more reflected in "bacon". Because Hunan cuisine uses a lot of bacon in its ingredients.
But in recent years, southern cuisine has spread to the north, and Hunan restaurants have spread all over the country. Because people pay more attention to health and think bacon is unhealthy, many Hunan restaurants have fewer bacon recipes.
Here are some classic dishes with the characteristics of Hunan cuisine. Basically every Hunan restaurant has some, which is also a must.
The first one: Chili fried meat
Stir-fried pork with pepper, also known as small fried pork for farmers, is a must for going to Hunan restaurants, and it is also an ace in many Hunan restaurants. Whether a Hunan restaurant is really authentic can be reflected from this dish. This dish is very characteristic of Hunan. When you go to a farmhouse in Hunan, almost every family will do it.
Second course: Fish head with chopped pepper
Fish head with chopped pepper used to be a popular dish in many Hunan restaurants, and it was very cheap every time. It's different now. A dish with chopped pepper and fish head costs tens of dollars. The characteristics of this dish are mainly reflected in the ingredients. Fish head is generally Dongting Lake fish, and chopped pepper is a specialty of Hunan. Of course, because of the cost, the fish heads are all purchased locally, and maybe the chopped peppers will also be from Hunan. Many people in Hunan eat fish heads with chopped peppers, and they can tell whether they are fresh or not at first glance. This is because they have gained experience from childhood to adulthood.
The third one: hand-tearing cabbage in a griddle.
Many people may be surprised how this dish can be a classic dish of Hunan cuisine. Although this dish is unremarkable, it is actually an authentic Hunan dish. Its finished dishes are very elegant, oily but not greasy, and crisp in taste. When we cook cabbage at home, we know that cabbage is not delicious without oil, but it will get tired of putting too much oil. However, although there is a lot of oil in the cabbage in Hunan restaurant, it seems that there is basically little oil in the bottom of the pot. This dish should be careful not to soak in water when cleaning cabbage, otherwise it will stir up a lot of water and it will not be crisp. And cabbage should be torn by hand, not cut with a knife. Stir-fry pork belly together at the same time. Actually, I personally tried it. Fried pork belly with bacon tastes better.
These three dishes are what I recommend you to eat Hunan cuisine. Of course, there are many classic dishes in Hunan cuisine, such as steamed bacon, Yongzhou blood duck, tasty snake and so on. But don't eat game.